Daniel John Sportiello, PhD
About Me
In my research, I assume that philosophy is something that we do — that it is, in other words, a way of addressing the questions and concerns that arise in the everyday. In my teaching, I assume the same: I show my students that philosophy addresses the questions and concerns that they already have — the same questions and concerns that make them human. This means, of course, that philosophy is an expression of our condition — but also that it is an interrogation of that condition, a way for us to remake ourselves.
Why I’m At É«»¨ÌÃTo study philosophy is to ask who we really are. And it is crucial that we ask this, for there are many who would rather that we did not ask it — who would tell us what to buy, how to vote, and so on. To study philosophy is therefore a matter of freedom.
Expertise
I am interested in the ways in which ethics intersects with other subfields of philosophy. I am also interested in the work of Immanuel Kant and Ludwig Wittgenstein. At the É«»¨ÌÃ, relevantly, I teach not only Search for Truth and Ethics but also Modern Philosophy and Contemporary Philosophy.
Education
BA (Philosophy and English): University of Notre Dame, 2007
MA (Philosophy): University of Notre Dame, 2011
PhD (Philosophy): University of Notre Dame, 2015